Lupus

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Signs and Symptoms

Lupus follows many different courses and the symptoms vary from patient to patient. Symptoms may be mild or severe, and in many cases, the disease is marked by periods of remission (improvement in symptoms) and exacerbation, also called flares (worsening of symptoms).

Symptoms of lupus include the following:

• Fatigue
• Fever (usually less than 102° F)
• General feeling of being unwell (malaise)
• Hair loss
• Muscle pain
• Nausea and vomiting
• Rash (commonly a "butterfly" rash across the cheeks and under the eyes)
• Sensitivity to sunlight (called photosensitivity)
• Sore or lesion (ulcer) in the mouth or nose, usually painless
• Swelling and pain in the joints (e.g., hands, knees)
• Swollen glands
• Weight loss

Complications
Lupus, as well as medications used to treat the disease, may cause a number of complications. These complications, some of which can be severe, include the following:

• Kidney damage (kidney failure is a leading cause of death in lupus patients)
• Nervous system damage (e.g., headaches, dizziness, memory loss, seizures)
• Cardiovascular damage (e.g., inflammation of the heart [pericarditis, endocarditis, myocarditis] and blood vessels; increased risk for heart attack)
• Lung damage (e.g., pleurisy; increased risk for pneumonia)
• Damage to bones (avascular necrosis caused by diminished blood supply to the bones)
• Increased risk for cancer (e.g., non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, lung cancer, liver cancer)
• Increased risk for infection (caused by the disease as well as the medications used to treat the disease)

During pregnancy, women with SLE have an increased risk for miscarriage and complications, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Women with lupus also may not tolerate some types of birth control (e.g., birth control pills, intrauterine devices [IUDs]) well.

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